Bartholomew.exe

About

Bartholomew.exe is a single player survival shooter game with horror, thriller and violence themes. It was developed by BrickLayer Studios and was released on July 22, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Can you survive the nightmare and take control of the dream? You wake up in the maze of the monster - Bartholomew. In this maze, reality shifts between nightmare and dream, a constant cat and mouse chase where you take contrasting roles in each state. During the Dream State you will need to chase Bartholomew and try your best to put him down with your trusty revolver however you need to be quick…

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

atmosphere2 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Simple yet well-executed concept with intense, suspenseful gameplay.
Effective atmosphere and horror elements that build dread and anxiety.
Engaging cat-and-mouse chase mechanics with some strategic options like traps and weapon upgrades.

Lack of clear instructions or guidance; tutorial is incomplete, leading to confusion.
Graphics and audio quality are poor, sometimes causing visual discomfort.
Gameplay can become repetitive and frustrating due to limited weapon variety, weak traps, and design issues with the monster AI.

gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The gameplay features unique mechanics like monster trapping but lacks reliability, diminishing its effectiveness. While the atmosphere is intriguing, the overall experience is hampered by monotonous and repetitive gameplay.
- “It makes the mechanic of trapping the monster almost useless, because you are not guaranteed to have it trapped.”
- “Intriguing first-person mazing and an interesting black metal album cover-esque atmosphere is quickly ruined by incredibly monotonous gameplay.”
- “It's just gameplay.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its strong visual coherence and intriguing, dark aesthetic reminiscent of a black metal album cover. While it creates a captivating and concise mood, some users feel the experience is undermined by repetitive gameplay. Overall, the atmosphere is considered well-crafted and effective.
- “The atmosphere matches the visuals and the whole concept of the game, and is perfectly considered.”
- “Short, sweet, and with a good atmosphere!”
- “Intriguing first-person mazing and an interesting black metal album cover-esque atmosphere is quickly ruined by incredibly monotonous gameplay.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report graphics issues related to outdated or incompatible AMD drivers, leading to errors that prevent proper rendering unless the recommended driver version or a different rendering API is used.
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game lacks a story, offering no narrative or plot elements for players to follow.
- “No story”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is extensive and demanding, often requiring significant time investment, to the point where players may feel the need for additional lives or retries to progress effectively.
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's music received strong criticism for its poor quality, described as unpleasant and awkwardly composed with unappealing, synthetic sounds. Overall, it fails to create an enjoyable auditory experience.
- “The title screen greets me with rather dreadful music... it sounds like MIDI trumpet farts, a Linkin Park starter pack, and stock guttural sounds all thrown in the proverbial FL Studio blender.”